Today it's Cornish cliffs and incredible scenery. The Cornish coastline is such a wild and beautiful place. And it was sunny to start with at least.
First stop was Port Isaac. Long walk into the town but well worth the effort.
Port Isaac was a busy coastal port from the Middle Ages to the mid 19th. century when it was an active harbour where cargoes like stone, coal, timber and pottery were loaded and unloaded.
Incredible tidal range in the harbour.
Fishing and fish-processing are also important and today there are still fishermen working from here although tourism plays an increasingly important role.
The original part of the village was built in a cleft between 2 hills and then it spread out onto the ridge. It is of course most famous for being the setting for Doc Martin. We wandered around the streets and up onto the headland.
Later on we walked around a few headlands trying to find the way back to the car park. Not big on signs in this village
Then it was onto Tintagel, the supposed place of conception of King Arthur. Again it was a long walk up to the castle.
Tintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island, adjacent to the village of Tintagel in Cornwall. The site was possibly occupied in the Romano-British period, as an array of artefacts dating to this period have been found on the peninsula, but as yet no Roman era structure has been proven to have existed there. It subsequently saw settlement during the Early Medieval period, when it was probably one of the seasonal residences of the regional king of Dumnonia. In the 13th century, during the Later Medieval period, after Cornwall had been subsumed into the kingdom of England, a castle was built on the site by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, which later fell into disrepair and ruin. Archaeological investigation into the site began in the 19th century as it became a tourist attraction, with visitors coming to see the ruins of Richard's castle. In the 1930s, excavations revealed significant traces of a much earlier high status settlement, which had trading links with the Mediterranean during the Late Roman period.
There were caves everywhere and some people think Merlin lived in one of them.
It was very interesting at the main castle area. One period had been build within the framework of the last. And there were multiple remains of small buildings everywhere. Probably medieval.
It started raining while we were on this high place but it just added to the atmosphere. The views of the coastline again were spectacular.
It was time for our lunchtime pastie. I had a Cornish icecream while Geoff checked out the Tintagel Old Post Office which is a 14th-century stone house, built to the plan of a medieval manor house, situated in Tintagel village
The last stop of the day was Boscastle which has a picturesque natural harbour and village. It also has a unique Elizabethan quay which sits in an impressive amphitheatre of steep cliffs and is home to quaint stone-built cottages, shops and tea-rooms
Overnight we stayed at Bideford.
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